W+K Shanghai is pleased to announce the newest installation in our ground-floor gallery space, “Where the Wind Comes From,” by artist Chen Hangfeng. Anyone passing by our office on Changle Lu can experience the work, which incorporates a kinetic wall sculpture and interactive fans into a refreshing temporary escape from the busy streets of the French Concession. Like many of the artist’s previous works, this installation explores the changing urban landscape of Shanghai, and the complex interaction between traditional Chinese design and contemporary culture. In this new project, the outer wall of our ground-floor space has been cut away to reveal a fan-shaped window (inspired by the classical gardens of Suzhou) which contains a delicate bamboo landscape rendered in ink painting. The leaves, however, are made from black plastic material (as in common rubbish bags), and pinned down like butterflies in a museum - they appear dead at first glance. A calligraphy text invites the public to “come closer”, and when viewers approach, an interactive motion-sensor activates a breeze inside and outside the window - bringing the still life to life, and a cool wind to the audience on the sidewalk. This “fake” traditional Chinese painting in fact revives the spirit of traditional gardens in the middle of a bustling street, and reflects on our own temporary presence as a “wind” stirring this changing city.